Improvement in tobacco-cutting machines



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. DURAND. Tobacco-Cutting Machine.

Patented Dec. 17, 1878.

XPETEHS. PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHFJL WASHINGTON. 0.@

4 Sh eeeeeeeeeeee 2.

E. DURAND. Tobacco-Cutting Machine.

Patented Dec. 17,1878..

4 Sheets---Sllfeetl 4.

E. DURAND.

Tobacco-Cutting Machine. No. 210,927. Patented Dec. 17, 1878.

UNITED STATES AlIlf-ilihlll QFFIGE.

EUGENE DURAND, .0F PAR-IS, FRANCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOBACCO-CUTTING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2 l0,927, dated December 17, 1878 application iiled July 11, 1878.

To all whom it: may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGNE DURAND, of Paris, France, have invented Improvements in Machinery and Apparatus for Cutting, Ch opping, or Breaking Tobacco, Iaper, and other like materials; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, rei'erence being had to the annexedsheets of drawing, making a part of the specifica-tion.

This invention relates to a machine for cutting or chopping tobacco-leaf to make what is known as picadura such as is used in Spain,

Havanna and in South America; also, for cutting or chopping up herbs or medicinal plants designed to be used in the manufacture of chemical cigarettes or to be prepared for distilling purposes.

The said machine is also applicable for cutting up roots, sea-weed, rags, and other like materials. It is also applicable for cutting paper into bands of any length and width for making endless rolls, or in certain cases curled paper, colored or white, to be used for wrapping up fancy or artistic obj ects; or commoner paper, such as newspapers, may bc operated upon and curled to make it applicable for wrapping up objects of less value than such as these above mentioned.

I employ in the said machine two grooved or channeled cylinders geared lightly together, and which, on being rotated, act like rollershears. rIhesc cylinders may be each constructed oi' one single piece or of separate parts, and Imay construct them of disks placed in juxtaposition, which disks may be tempered or untempered. The disks maybe in two parts. like two springs known as Belleville springs, so as to allow of providing for the eii'ects of wear.

I combine with the said cylinders suitable devices or apparatus for feeding the machine with the material to be cut, for separating the same after it has been cnt. and for collecting together the product obtained. For example, when picadurais to be manufactured, the leaves of tobacco may be directly subjected to the action of the said cylinders, or they maybe iirst cut into threads or pieces of greater or less dimensions by means of a chopping or ordinary knife, which may be a part of the machine or separate therefrom.

The said cylinders may be provided with Scrapers or combs to clean them and to detach from their channels or grooves the cut` tobacco or other material.

In operating upon paper for wrapping pur poses the sc 1apers or combs cause the paper to be more or less curled, according to whether they are more or less inclined.

rIhe cut paper may be allowed to escape directly from the cylinders, or it may be caused to pass into a pipe covered. with a bag or sack forming a sheath, in such a manner as to receive the paper within it.

In the drawing, I-"igures 1, 2, and 3 represent a side elevation, an end view, and a pla-n of a machine constructed according to my said invention, and designed for cutting or chopping up tobacco and for cutting paper into narrow curled bands to serve for wrapping purposes. Figs. 4, 5, and G represent, on an enlargei'l scale, a transverse section on the line l 2, a longitudinal view on the line 3 4, and a plan of the pair of grooved or'channeled cuttingcylinders and of the Scrapers or combs which serve to detach the chopped tobacco from their grooves or channels or to effect the curling oi' the narrow bands oi" paper.

Similar letters of reference refer to the same parts throughout these figures.

a c represent the cylinders grooved or channeled, so as to form right-angular flanges, and geared lightly together, as shown in Figs. 4: and 6, so that the flanges of one cylinder will mesh with the grooves of the other. By this construction each ilange will be provided with two cutting-edges. They are keyed upon the shafts b b, which turn in bearings forming part ofthe frame fw of the machine.

c d are fast and loose pulleys, mounted on the shaftof one of the two cylinders to tra-ns mit a rotary ymovement by means of a strap from any suitable motor. The two cylinders control each other, and revolve in contrary directions or at varying speeds by means of the toothed wheels c c, keyed on the shafts b b.

f is a hopper, in which the tobacco in the leaf or in threads or pieces is placed.

Instead of the hopper I may employ other or other similar apparatus.

means for feeding the machine-such, for instance, as an endless apron or chain devices, In employing au endless apron the line passing over the axes of the cylinders may 'be vertical instead of horizontal-that is to say, the cylinders may be superposed, as in the case of a rolling-mill.

g g are the scrapers or combs, provided to clean the cylinders and to detach from their grooves or channels the chopped tobacco; also, to curl the paper.

7a is a cain keyed on one of the shafts of the cylinders. It is a sieve having a closed bottom, and suspended from the frame under the cylinders by the rods l l. lis a rock-shaft having bearings on each side of the frame. l is an arm, iirinly attached to the rocksl1aft t', and having its upper end pivoted or hinged to the sieve h. Z2 is a crank-arm on the outer end of the rock-shaft i, the said arm being provided With africtiou-wheel at its free end,

which Works in the groove of the cam. i j are inclined planes or chutes for conveying the tobacco to their respective receptacles.

It will thus be seen that when the machine is put in motion the sieve Will receive avibrating tobacco, leather, and other materials; but f What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

y In a tobacco-cutting machine, the combination ot1 the grooved cylinders a a, the sieveh, the chutes t" j, the rods or straps Z l, the rockshaft z', the arm ll, the crank-arm 12,*and the cam k, substantially as and for the purpose described. v Y

' E. DURAND.

Witnesses:

ROBT. M. HooPEn, EUGENE HBERT. 

